Rally fizzles as Astros unable to dig out of big hole in Detroit

Astros-Tigers: May 5-8

DETROIT — Bo Porter said he wanted to be the most improved team in baseball. Jeff Luhnow spoke of significant improvement and an exciting team. Owner Jim Crane even talked of how happy he’d be to see a .500 record.

One-fifth of the schedule says “fat chance” all-around.

The Astros have trotted out a shrug-worthy and deflating brand of baseball almost nightly. That’s not a change from last year, it’s part two.

Lefty Brett Oberholtzer was improved Tuesday night. Rebuild poster-boy George Springer had three hits, and the Astros showed a little life in a ninth-inning rally. But if results are your cup of tea, there’s just not much about which to be excited.

“It’s tough, but you know, it’s a long year,” Oberholtzer said. “We just got to keep grinding.”

The bullpen might come close to meeting the legal definition of false advertising.

An 11-4 loss Tuesday night to the Tigers at Comerica Park was the Astros’ fourth straight defeat. At 10-23, the Astros are just one game better than they were a year ago through the same number of games.

The good will that opening day and Springer’s promotion brought has to be gone. There’s still loads of time for the Astros to change their outlook as the American League’s absolute worst team, but an upswing might have to wait for a bit.

The club can save money if they wait to promote prospects such as first baseman Jon Singleton and righty Mike Foltynewicz.

Tuesday’s game wasn’t even embarrassing until late, but the Tigers scheduled an air strike late. The Astros were down 6-1 heading into the eighth. Astros reliever Josh Fields, who has an ERA of an even 12, allowed five runs in the inning but couldn’t get the final out. He’s allowed 14 runs in his last four outings, a three-inning span.

“Just working on pitch location a little bit better,” Fields said of his side efforts. “Trying to get the curveball down. I left a couple curveballs up and they got hit tonight.”

Porter didn’t tip his hand as to whether Fields would be best suited to work out these struggles at Class AAA Oklahoma City going forward.

“We have dialogue each day about our roster and how can we improve our roster,” Porter said. “But that’s not something I would be willing to discuss.”

Fields gave up six hits. Former Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez made his first start against his old club and singled home the Tigers’ final run of the night on the team’s 18th and final hit.

Down 11-1 going into the ninth, the Astros came alive with three runs, but they still finished with half as many hits as the Tigers.

Max Scherzer, arguably the greatest pitcher in baseball, was a legitimate excuse for an Astros loss on Monday night. The Astros hung in, too, losing 2-0 on their own mistakes.

Robbie Ray isn’t Max Scherzer. A Tigers lefty who made his major league debut Tuesday, Ray struck out five, walked one and allowed five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The only run he allowed came home in his final frame, the sixth.

Ray is certainly no slouch. He didn’t allow a run in any of his last three appearances for the Tigers’ Class AAA club and left that level with a 1.53 ERA. The 22-year-old isn’t overpowering but also isn’t a soft thrower.

Perhaps the Astros struggled because they hadn’t seen Ray before. But that logic takes a hit when considering the Tigers had never faced Oberholtzer.

In both of his previous two outings, Oberholtzer allowed six runs in fewer than five innings. Four runs in six innings on Tuesday, then, marked a turnaround.

Miguel Cabrera homered in the first inning with no one on, and Cabrera’s superhuman, so that one can be written off. Oberholtzer didn’t have it easy all night but hung in there as his record fell to 0-6.

“Me and Strommy (pitching coach Brent Strom) talked about my changeup (being) my best swing-and-miss pitch, so to equalize that, keep ‘em off-balance, throwing fastballs up and in,” Oberholtzer said. “I know Torii (Hunter) didn’t like it when I went in there under his hands, but … I got to continue to do that.”

Two more runs came home in third and another in the fourth for a 4-0 Tigers lead.

The lone run the Astros scored, in the sixth inning, was a product of some good hustle from Dexter Fowler. He went first-to-third on Jason Castro’s base hit, the second straight hit the Astros started the frame with against Ray.

Questionable base running from Fowler hurt the Astros the previous night, but because he made it to third base Tuesday, he was able to score on a Chris Carter sac fly. That directly preceded an inning-ending double play.